Back at Betty Brinn

We went back to the Children's Museum today. I think Claire has asked to go there at least once a day since our last visit. She loves it, a season pass would be well-used by this family. It really is a fun museum. It has a lot of great stuff for all ages (including, ahem, adults), it is laid out really well, all the stuff works like it should, and being right on the lake, it is surrounded by beautiful sights. When we got home, I asked Claire what her favorite part was. She said "The drums. And the train. The apple tree, the sandbox, fixing the car, the music...and the drums." We all had a blast.

Percussion Tower

Fun House Mirrors

Sand Table

Tulips, my favorite.

"Dad, you're the best."

dad is the best
Originally uploaded by shalberg.

A Book We Wrote Today

"Claire Goes to the Volcano!"

Once upon a time, there was Claire walking in the woods.
And she saw a volcano!
And she was scared. So she called her mom and dad.
"Mom and Dad! I'm scared of the volcano!"
And mom and dad came!
Claire said "I'm scared of the volcano.
Mom and dad said "The volcano is a friendly one."
Claire was happy. She said "Hi volcano!"
And then the volcano was happy too.
Claire gave the volcano a big hug.
And then the volcano started to make steam.
And it spit out crayons!
And then it spit out paper!
And Claire could draw!
So Claire drew a volcano bigger than Mama's car.
And she said "There."
And Claire gave the picture to the volcano.

The End. Thats the rest of the story.


by: Claire Halberg.

We've been busy!

There is so much going on right now, with moving and Mike's graduation and all. This week, I believe, is "Senior Week", which means there are activities planned all week. For example, last night we went to the Brewer game. It was very fun, the whole section was med students. It was definitely a mix of people, everyone from the crazy guy with the fish hat and "gun show" t-shirt to the family with four kids to the girl yelling and cheering so energetically you are happy you are not behind her because you are sure she's going to forget she has a beer in her hands one of these times. And in addition to all that, it was a great game. Also this week, there is a lunch at the zoo at some point, a golf outing and a formal dinner/dance (med school prom). We'll have to stay up late packing if we are ever going to get to Maine in time for residency.

Other than all that, I remembered a conversation Claire had with my parents, and I thought it was funny. My mom was trying to 'teach' my dad the words to Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. He kept getting it wrong, saying "Supercalifragilisticexpiali-DONUTS", and Claire loved it. Then at one point, Claire said "Grandma, I think Grandpa is thinking about some some donuts! He wants to eat some!"

And other than all that, I have a picture of Dave and Sharon, because I never seem to post pictures of either one of them.

Row Row Row Your Boat

rowing
Originally uploaded by shalberg.

There's just nothing quite like a two year-old.

My husband is a MODEL!!

I had my debut a few months ago, and now its Mike's turn. Check him out in all his leather-clad glory:



You can also go to page 14 of the April Showers ad to see the picture a bit bigger.

Pictures by Elijah

Elijah used Mike's camera to take 125 pictures today. He sure seemed to have a blast. Follow the link to see some of the best of them.

at Leslie and John's house

How to kiss a boy.

Claire, Ethan and Daniel
Originally uploaded by shalberg.

We had some friends over to play poker this weekend. Claire, Ethan and Daniel played really well together. And then at one point, Mike and I heard Claire say, "Ethan! Don't move your mouth!" and then she gave him a kiss. I guess you really have to tell boys what to do when you kiss them.

We also had a chance to meet Rusty. He looks happy in this picture, probably has something to do with Mike scratching his belly.

Betty Brinn

Today we went to the Betty Brinn Children's Museum. It was very cool, and we had a lot of fun.

Originally uploaded by shalberg.

Today is Cupcake Day!

I've been making weekly calendars with Claire lately. Every day has some activity planned, and she is getting pretty good at figuring out what we are going to do on which day. Its also fun for me to come up with new things to do. Some days are always the same, for example, we always have Swimming Day on Tuesday, since that is when her lessons are. Most days have something little, like we make a tent in the living room, or we do a specific art project. But today is Cupcake Day, and probably the most looked-forward to day of them all. Claire really loves the part where we get to dip our fingers in the batter....and really, so do I.

calendars
calenders
colanders
calender's
colander's
Edit...
Revert to "calanders"

Claire's new pictures

Here are some of Claire's pictures from this afternoon along with her commentary:


"Mommas picture!" "I take her picture"


"I love you books" "Rectangles and squares."


"Say cheese computer" "Ha, ha, I said say cheese computer!"

Happy Easter!

Originally uploaded by shalberg.

We had all of our egg-hunting and basket-finding fun yesterday. It was a beautiful day, to say the least. We spent most of it outside playing croquet, relaxing, and of course hunting for the Easter 'surprises' by following the map that was mailed to Claire.

A New Photographer

Claire has a new hobby! She loves to take Daddy's camera and snap shots of everything in sight. Here are some samples. There is a trend with pictures of people (no foreheads!).

sweetest EVER.

sunglasses
Originally uploaded by shalberg.

I know I'm her mom, and of course I think these two pictures are the sweetest pictures ever taken, but...aren't they??

We were walking to the car at the park, right into the setting sun.
Claire: Mom, the sun is in my eyes.
Me: Do you want to use my sunglasses?
Claire: That would be great!

I hand her the sunglasses and she puts them on, we continue walking a few steps.

Claire: Mom, you're the best.

Cut off!

The power cord that charges my laptop battery has finally broken down for good. I've ordered a new one, but it just can't get here fast enough. I feel so lost without my computer! All the pictures I need to download, all the blogs I want to read! Then again, I'm not nearly as desperate as I would have to be to go down to Circuit City or somewhere and buy one off the shelf. They can't even sell me the correct one, I'd have to buy a plug adaptor in addition to the power cord. I paid less than half of the cost Circuit City gave me by doing a little research online, and I'm getting the exact cord I need. Come to think of it, I could have paid for overnight delivery and STILL saved over $100 dollars!

Rock Climbing and Lobsters

You can't go wrong moving to a place with world renowned rock climbing and lobster restaurants.

More House Pictures

Here are some more pictures of our new house. We love it and can't wait to start making it our own. This one is the back yard, which has a nice fence to allow two-year olds to run free!


Here is a picture of the living room taken standing in the dining area.



...and a limited view of the kitchen (the fridge is staying thankfully!).

Its Monnie's Birthday!

Happy Birthday Monnie!!

A big group of us went out for dinner on Saturday night to celebrate at Old Fashioned. Its a cool restaurant in Madison that uses all Wisconsin products throughout their menu. Great food and great views of the capitol.

Its been a long time since I've posted anything. Claire has been sick the past two or three days, so mostly I've been sitting with her on the couch, while Mike does laundry. Or Mike sits with her on the couch while I do laundry. We have a lot of towels, but we can't seem to keep enough clean. I'm hoping today is the turning point, and so far, it seems to be.

Success!!

Our House
Originally uploaded by shalberg.

Our trip to Maine was a huge success! We found a house we love in the perfect area with great neighbors. We are so excited to move in. It has three bedrooms, a fenced in backyard and a garage (rare in Portland). There are parks and a library within walking distance, and across the street is full court basketball and a huge open and flat field. I can't wait to get there and start making it our own. Claire thinks it should be a purple house. Think she'll settle for a purple bedroom?

Also, on Sunday, we went rock climbing. And by 'we' I really mean Mike and a bunch of people went rock climbing. My new friend, Nicole, and I watched and laid out on the warm rocks and played with Nicole's dog, Gus (a huge golden doodle). We also went for an accidental hike trying to find a second cliff where some of the climbers were. We misjudged and ended up blazing our own path through the woods trying to find the bottom of the mountain. It took us just about an hour to do, and my quads are horribly sore today!

We also ate lobsters. What a fun (and busy) week. There are more very impressive rock climbing pictures on Flickr. I'm such a wimp, I was afraid just watching.

eavesdropping

talking
Originally uploaded by shalberg.

Claire is talking to my mom on the phone. I've been listening to her half of the conversation.

"Grandma? Are you still talking? I want Grandpa to be on the phone."

This girl knows what she wants.

Claire's "Friend" Grant

Most of you who read this blog don't know Grant. He is a friend of my brother's, a big tall guy who is as nice as they come. Claire does not like him at all. She really doesn't like boys in general, but Grant is different. Its like he is the Leader of Boys, and therefore the one to be most cautious of. But at the same time, she's curious about him. For example, if he happens to stop by to see my brother, Claire will hide under blankets or in the bathroom until he leaves, and then for the next three or four mornings, she'll wake up saying "I don't like Grant". But, when we are playing and I ask her what her pretend puppy's name is, it will be Grant. Or I'll ask her who she thinks is calling when the phone rings, and she will say it is Grant. And today after we finished drawing a picture for Uncle Dave, Claire wanted to make one for Grant. So we did. I always include some quotes from Claire on her art. Here is what Grant's drawing had written on it:

"Claire what do you want to say to Grant?"
"I don't say anything to Grant."
"What does Grant look like?"
"He looks like a banana."
"What does his nose look like?"
"A big circle."
"What is his favorite color?"
"Purple and blue. Blue and purple."
"Where does Grant live?"
"At the North Pole."
"Does Grant smell pretty?"
"Like a birthday cake."
"What do Grant's toes smell like?"
"Potatoes." (laughs for the first time during the conversation. Up to this point it was ALL business.)
"What is Grant's job?"
"He delivers presents. For Christmas Eve."
"Do you want to say anything else to Grant."
"Not anything."

splashing around

splashing around
Originally uploaded by shalberg.

Mike and I have been very busy since he got back from the cabin. We knew we had a lot to learn about buying a house, and we were right. But I do feel like we have a good handle on things, and we have some great resources both here and in Maine. I really can't wait to get there and look first hand in a few days. There is so much going on right now, but so far, not very much to actually report. I'm sure that will change soon enough.

And while Mike and I are house hunting, Claire will be doing whatever she wants with her Grandma and Nana. I'm pretty sure my mom never let ME splash water around until the rugs were soaked.

More cabin pictures.

Eric sent the pictures he took, and I made a set on Flickr of all the cabin pictures. They are really beautiful, check them out.

Cabin 2006

silhouettes
Originally uploaded by shalberg.

Everyone is back, and we have pictures already (courtesy of Sheng). The beach looks amazing in the winter.

I said I'd post a few pictures, and I tried to get them all to show up without having to click on links, but it turned out to be too much work. So click away!

Dancing Silhouettes

Sunset at the winter beach

Black River Falls

A Marine

The guy from RiverDance

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Match Day Madness is still sinking in around here. We have a million decisions to make in the next few weeks. Hopefully Mike and I will be able to fly out soon and do a little house shopping, and after that I think quite a few things will clear up. It certainly is an exciting time in our lives right now.

Mike and his friends took off for the cabin last night. This is the tenth year the guys have gone, though I'm not sure they ever have gone in the winter. I checked weather.com, and its definitely cold up there, getting down to 6 degrees tonight. Makes me want to put another sweatshirt on just thinking about it! Brrr! Meanwhile, Claire and I are in Green Bay spending some time with my parents, watching some basketball, and just having fun in general.

Got What We Called For!

We're going to Maine!

Basketball Night

Originally uploaded by shalberg.

After taking a week off because of being sick, Mike was back to playing basketball, and Claire and I were back to cheering him on (in a new style). They even played the yellow team, or "The Big Lemons" to those of us on the sidelines. We giggled about their yellow outfits the entire game.

Match Day tomorrow. We'll post the destination as soon as we can.

A Message for Nana:

Things Are Improving

We are definitely on the mend. Every day we feel better and have a bit more energy. What has been really nice is that Mike is one day ahead of me. He got sick the day before I got sick, and his daily improvements are exactly what I experience 24 hours later. So as I type this, I am feeling pretty good, but I know that by tomorrow night, I will be feeling great. I can't believe how much this bug took out of us, it was such a huge drain. But its going around, a middle school in the area closed down Thursday and Friday because 248 students and over 20 faculty called in sick with the same thing we had. That's crazy! It sure is good to have some energy again, and if all those kids are following the same course we have, they'll be ready for school tomorrow morning with no problem.

So on with the Match Day Extravaganza! Its this Thursday! Three more days!! Match Day has been such a big thing on the horizon for such a long time, something we have done so much to prepare for, that it seems unreal that it is this week. It is exciting, to say the least.

Sounds like Potty

We ventured out for a grand total of one hour today to get necessities. When Claire and I ran into the library she had to go to the bathroom. This entails taking off the "Claire's Sick" layers of clothing and then waiting for the family restroom to open up, all the while praying I am not to late! Finally it was our turn and Claire started peeing. I said, "Claire, sounds like tinkle tinkle." She scoffed her reply, "No daddy, it sounds like potty." We did eventually leave the library and as always, made sure to jump over the cracks on the way out!

Call her Miss. Riddle!!!

We are all still sick, but it has given the three of us lots of quality time watching Dora the Explorer and sipping Ginger Ale. On Dora, there is a Troll who asks Dora and her friend Boots (aka Mr. Riddle), lots of riddles which they must answer to cross his bridge. Yesterday I thought it would be fun to ask Claire a few of my own.

Dad: What is red on the outside and has white teeth and a tongue inside?
Claire: No, daddy, yellow on the outside! (She wanted the answer to be banana)
Dad: It's not a banana Claire.
Claire: banana?
Dad: No, not a banana. Try again, where is your tongue?
Claire: Right here (pointing in her mouth).
Dad: What is that?
Claire: My tongue!
Dad: Okay...Where do you put your food?
Claire: In my kitchen!
Dad: No, No...What about your chocolate milk?
Claire: I dropped it on the floor.
Dad: Let's start over. What is on your face right here (pointing to my mouth)?
Claire: MY LIPS!
Dad: Are you joking with Daddy Claire?
Claire: Ha, Ha, Ha.
Mommy: Claire, where are your teeth?
Claire: In my MOUTH Mamma!
Mamma smiles and daddy faints.

If you have any good riddles let me know and I will post Claire's response.

Being Sick Wasn't Part of the Plan

We are all sick today. I was awake for less than three hours yesterday and Sheela is yet to get up today. Claire is still sick, but slept only an hour or two (including last night). Hopefully we will feel better soon, it is cramping our social schedule.

Note to sickies: Watch out for Tylenol (acetaminophen). I typically take the normal Dayquil, Robitussin regimen when I am sick. Today I was looking at what I actually took yesterday - too much acetaminophen. Dayquil (two gel caps twice during the day = 1000mg), Robitussin (normal adult dose 2TBSP twice during the night=2000mg), and Tylenol for my headache (two Tylenol twice=2000mg). Total is 5000mg, and I took everything as prescribed!!! The maximum dose for people with a healthy liver is 4000mg, putting me over the limit, and I definitely would have taken more if I hadn't caught myself.

Surrounded by Sickies.

Mike and Claire are sick. Nothing too bad, just some belly aches, congestion, tiredness, low-grade fevers and on Claire's part, general crabbiness. They both are camped out in the living room watching Sesame Street, and I'm hoping they fall asleep sometime soon. So far, I don't have any symptoms, and I'm pretty sure that it has something to do with the Moms Can't Get Sick Rule. Growing up, I remember my mom getting sick one time, and I was sick right along with her. She claims its because of The Rule, but I have a suspicion that there is a second part of The Rule, Moms Can't Get Sick, And Even If You Were Sick, Moms Don't Get Sick Days.

We're a pretty healthy group, so hopefully this will pass quickly and we can get back to normal around here. In the meantime, I'll be using handsoap and anti-bacterial gel like there's no tomorrow.

Happy (almost) Birthday, Dave!

Originally uploaded by shalberg.

Mike and I took Dave and Sharon to a Bucks game last night for his birthday (which is on Tuesday). We went out for dinner before the game at Colonel Hart's, which doesn't look like much from the outside, but is actually a very fun sports bar on the inside. The game was a lot of fun. We lost and lagged behind almost the entire game, but a huge comeback in the 4th quarter got everyone on their feet, so it was a really fun game to see in person.

And just so everyone knows, this picture shows exactly what $150 seats look like...so HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVE! Nothing but the best for you!

My Butt is Broken!

Tonight Claire was looking in the bathroom mirror and noticed a problem. "My Butt is Broken" she said, "It has a crack in it!" I don't know if this is contagious, but you may want to check your own butt for cracks tonight!

Basketball

"GO BLUE TEAM!"
Originally uploaded by shalberg.

Claire and I tagged along tonight to watch Mike play some league ball. It was great. Claire totally got into it, cheering "GO BLUE TEAM!!" and "GO DADDY!!". And she waited very patiently for her time to go out on the court and dribble during time outs.

Mike's team won, I actually got to watch the game, and Claire got chocolate chip cookies and an excuse to yell. Lots of fun for all!

While you were out.

Last weekend while I was in Green Bay, my dad and I blew up about 100 balloons, and then my mom stuffed them all in my brother Dave's closet. Then when he got home, he had this to deal with:


Ha! Fun times. We all laughed a lot harder than Dave did, but thats the point sometimes. My dad is always playing little pranks on my brother. My favorite one (its happened a few times, from what I understand) is the bubble wrap on the tire of Dave's truck prank. Bubble wrap can really make some noise when you run a car over it, especially to an unsuspecting driver. Its pretty funny, you should try it (not you, Mike :).